Unite or face political turmoil, Noor tells Afghans

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN): Northern Balkh province governor on Saturday warned the country could once again plunge into a deep political turmoil after foreign troops pullout in 2014 if Afghans did not unite.

Governor Atta Mohammad Noor urged all Afghans irrespective of their ethnic and political background to forge unity to preserve the achievements made over the past decade.

Noor was addressing participants at Abdul Ali Mazari’s 17th death anniversary, the former Hazb-i-Wahdat Islami chief.

Thousands of people attended Mazari’s anniversary who was assassinated by the Taliban in southern Ghazni province on March 12, 1995.

“The time is not far when the country will plunge into another civil war-like situation if the nation remains divided,” Noor said, pledging conditional support to peace parleys with Taliban.

“We are supportive of the peace talks until protection to the progress made so far and the constitution is guaranteed,” the governor said.